Parasha "VaYISHLACH" (and he sent) Gen 32:4-36:43 (Midrash)

[Ben Avraham]

PARASHA: VaYISHLACH "He sent"


GENESIS 32:4-36:43 , ISAIAH 40:27-41:16 , ACTS 7: 1-8


We see Jacob at the crossroads again, a time of inner struggle and conflict, a time of reckoning, remembering the wrong that he did to brother Esau, and he was reminded of that very often, Jacob tricked his father Isaac, being blind, pretended to be the eldest, and Laban tricked Jacob, being in the dark (inside the marriage tent) gave Jacob the eldest when he thought he was getting the youngest, the chickens come home to roost, Now he has to confront Esau, BUT...Jacob comes to a time of Teshuvah, of repentance, to settle up with big bro, to make right that which was wronged, and he did the right thing, sent messengers ahead, and they come back with a report,

"Esau is coming to you, with 400 men" Now this scares the willies out of Jacob, and rightly so, is he coming with vengeance, with an attitude, to get even...OR....

to make peace? that is the question, he must ponder on that, but if he remembers the promise of YHVH He will keep him and multiply his descendants, BUT will he live to see them?


We also see that he sends gifts of cattle, when one repents of wrong doing, if possible, make restitution, this is what he is doing, sometimes, restitution is not possible, or perhaps restitution can be made with the next of kin of the one offended. So Jacob is alone, he sends his family into hiding in the hills,


Now we know the plight with "Jacob and the Angel" they "Wrestle" and says "Jacob prevails" and his name is changed to "Israel" We know that the "angel" is none other than the "Angel of the LORD" so, how does one "prevail over God?" how does one "Win over God, or Win with God? it involves a spirit of submission! when all fails, when we are at the end of our rope, we say "OK LORD, you win, I am yours to command" in submitting to HIS WILL, we prevail, and Israel walked with a limp to always remind himself of his encounter


We see that in Scripture, many places God address his people as "Jacob" and also "Israel" to remind them of their past, are you behaving as "Jacob" or as "Israel" we can ask ourselves the same question.


We know that the outcome of Esau and Israel was touching, they made up, no hard feelings, perhaps Esau brought his 400 men as an escort for Jacob's family and cattle to Edom, but we know that Jacob (Israel) followed the route back to Canaan, Yes, we can choose either the things of God or the things of Esau, it is always our choice,

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ISAIAH 40:27-41:16

"Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak O Israel".....he again is the mention of both names, whether we feel like a Jacob or like an Israel, YHVH still listens and knows ALL of our situations, problems, mindsets, etc, and HE will respond in HIS perfect timing, either in a positive way or in a chastising way,

Those who wait on the LORD will renew their strength....... waiting is praying, and acting (doing our part) and expecting an answer, He will give us the inner strength to deal with all our problems and await the outcome,
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ACTS 7:1-8

Stephan, the first martyr says it all, relates the whole plan of God, BUT the leaders don't want to hear that "Israel sinned" it says they were "cut to the heart" but instead of a spirit of Teshuvah, the had the spirit of continuous rebellion, so as to "silence" the preacher, How do we react when we are confronted with our sin, are we "cut to the heart" to repent, or are we "cut to the heart" in anger! (that we were discovered) ?

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On the 13th of December, the Shabbat before Hanukkah, I will be having a special 1:30 class on the history of Hanukkah and the events leading up to the event, don't miss it, and bring notebooks and pencils and a mind to learn. all of you at Ahavat Elohim Forum who live in Houston, Texas are also invited we are at 7000 Bellaire Blvd


Shabbat Shalom....rabbi Jacob Ben Avraham

[alon]

Another good commentary. Further discussion:

Dec 5, 2014 19:10:21 GMT -8 Ben Avraham said:

Now we know the plight with "Jacob and the Angel" they "Wrestle" and says "Jacob prevails" and his name is changed to "Israel" We know that the "angel" is none other than the "Angel of the LORD" so, how does one "prevail over God?" how does one "Win over God, or Win with God? it involves a spirit of submission! when all fails, when we are at the end of our rope, we say "OK LORD, you win, I am yours to command" in submitting to HIS WILL, we prevail, and Israel walked with a limp to always remind himself of his encounter

I think there is another meaning here which should be brought out. Ya'akov (Jacob) prevailed with God because of his tenacity. He wanted a blessing from God, and he hung in there until he got it! But he well knew who he was struggling against, so we can conclude he was not out to give this Messenger (caped because it was most likely Yeshua) a beat-down. He was humble yet trusting, and determined to get the blessing. I think Ya'akov was acutely aware of his shortcomings. He was also aware of the tremendous responsibility he carried because of the promises of God. And yes, he was aware of the physical danger he was in, and was afraid. Does this mean he didn't trust God? Well, trust is more a matter of degrees. We all face doubts and fears, but our trust is measured in how we deal with these. Ya'akov first reminded God, and more importantly himself, of the promises made to him by God.

Gen 32:12 You said, 'I will certainly do you good and make your descendants as numerous as the grains of sand by the sea, which are so many they can't be counted.'"

Next we see him struggling with a "man", a Messenger, who was probably Yeshua (God).

Gen 32:24 and Ya'akov was left alone. Then some man wrestled with him until daybreak. 25 When he saw that he did not defeat Ya'akov, he struck Ya'akov's hip socket, so that his hip was dislocated while wrestling with him. 26 The man said, "Let me go, because it's daybreak." But Ya'akov replied, "I won't let you go unless you bless me." 27 The man asked, "What is your name?" and he answered, "Ya'akov." 28 Then the man said, "From now on, you will no longer be called Ya'akov, but Isra'el; because you have shown your strength to both God and men and have prevailed." 29 Ya'akov asked him, "Please tell me your name." But he answered, "Why are you asking about my name?" and blessed him there.

Several notable things; this is representative of the inner struggles we all face as we "work out our salvation with fear and trembling" (Phil 2:12). And Ya'akov persevered. He wanted to be reassured, he wanted courage to move forward, he wanted the blessing of God Himself! God could have just blessed Ya'akov and been done with him, but He allowed the struggle. It is in struggling we find our strength.

Ya'akov got his blessing. His name was changed to Yisra'el, I believe one of the translations for which is that he walks with God. But his hip was permanently dislocated as a reminder of who the stronger partner was in this walk.

Another thing we need to understand is the importance of the blessing in the culture of the time. It cannot be overstated, this blessing was life, strength and honor itself! Even today Jews regularly bless each other. It is one of the primary responsibilities of a father to his family; and one of the reasons Jews tend to do well despite terrible persecution. Some blessings are casual, a "job well done" or pat on the back. Many however are given a lot of thought and effort, and tailored to the child. They can set the course of his or her life!

The blessings of God are this specific, and they are not cheap. God rewards perseverance and trust. This is how Ya'akov prevailed with the Elohim of his fathers. And like a grandparent with a child, YHVH gently but firmly allowed him to struggle, to test and develop his strength, and to go on with courage.

Dan C

[alon]

Dec 5, 2014 19:10:21 GMT -8 Ben Avraham said:

We see Jacob at the crossroads again, a time of inner struggle and conflict, a time of reckoning, remembering the wrong that he did to brother Esau, and he was reminded of that very often, Jacob tricked his father Isaac, being blind, pretended to be the eldest, and Laban tricked Jacob, being in the dark (inside the marriage tent) gave Jacob the eldest when he thought he was getting the youngest, the chickens come home to roost, Now he has to confront Esau, BUT...Jacob comes to a time of Teshuvah, of repentance, to settle up with big bro, to make right that which was wronged, ...

Dr Michael Laitman gives some interesting insights to this par'sha. He is a Cabbalist, so I am careful, using a lot of discernment when I read him. But he does go deep into the meanings of and often gets into the sod level of understanding. (Cabbalists can more often come up with some outrageous interpretations, so as I said discernment is absolutely necessary). I'll try to summarize his insights:

Ya'akov's struggles here deal with "very deep scrutinies that one makes within the soul" as we move from a state of "katnut", or infancy into the next stagesof our spiritual development. The stages are likened to "kelim", or vessels. We must break these kelim to move on, to escape from their containment. Esau here represents the evil inclination in us that must be corrected. Confronting this state is an act of violence which finds its parallel in the breaking of a vessel. Unless we confront the evil inclination, our egotistical desires, and persevere and overcome them, we cannot move on from this state of infancy.

Note that Ya'akov made specific preparations for his encounter with Esav. He divided everything he had; in other words he set his affairs in order. We must so arrange our "qualities in an internal preparation for the disclosure of the flaws within, in order to properly cope with them."

Another way to look at this is that we must get to know ourselves and the things which hinder our walk with Elohim. We must separate these things as we would sort grain or liquids into vessels. Then, in an act of internal violence we must persevere until we've broken these vessels. Us Shamaimites love this! That is until we see the truth that we now must exercise the qualities of the Hillelites in patient perseverance to resort things into a new order ... but who said this was going to be that easy?

Dan C